Damascus (AFP) - Palmyra, the ancient Syrian city that has fallen to the Islamic State jihadist group, has withstood the last 2,000 years with its immaculate temples and colonnaded streets.

Listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, the "pearl of the desert" is a well-preserved oasis 210 kilometres (130 miles) northeast of Damascus.

Palmyra, which means City of Palms, is known in Syria as Tadmor, or City of Dates.

Its name first appeared on a tablet in the 19th century BC as a stopping point for caravans travelling on the Silk Road and between the Gulf and the Mediterranean.

But it was during the Roman Empire -- beginning in the first century BC and lasting another 400 years -- that Palmyra rose to prominence.

Though surrounded by desert dunes, Palmyra developed into a luxurious metropolis thanks to the trade of spices, perfumes, silk and ivory from the east, and statues and glasswork from Phoenicia.

The castle of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, seen a day after Islamic State (IS) group jihadists fired rockets into the city, killing five people, on May 18, 2015

In the year 129 AD, Roman emperor Hadrian declared Palmyra a "free city" within his empire. During the rest of the century, its famous temples -- including the Agora and the temple honouring Bel (Baal) -- were built.

Before the arrival of Christianity in the second century, Palmyra worshipped the trinity of the Babylonian god Bel, as well Yarhibol (the sun) and Aglibol (the moon).

As the Roman Empire faced internal political instability in the third century, Palmyra took the opportunity to declare its independence.

Palmyrans beat back the Romans in the west and Persian forces in the east in a revolt led by Zenobia, who then became queen.

By 270, Zenobia had conquered all of Syria and parts of Egypt, and had arrived at Asia Minor's doorstep.

But when Roman emperor Aurelian retook the city, the powerful queen was taken back to Rome and Palmyra began to decline in prominence.

Before Syria's crisis began in March 2011, more than 150,000 tourists visited Palmyra every year, admiring its beautiful statues, over 1,000 columns, and formidable necropolis of over 500 tombs.

Palmyra's richest residents had constructed and sumptuously decorated these monuments to the dead, some of which have been recently looted.

Palmyra bears scars of Syria's ongoing war: clashes between armed rebels and government forces in 2013 left collapsed columns and statues in their wake.

Hundreds of statues and artefacts from Palmyra's museum were transferred out of the city before it fell to the Islamic State jihadist group, according to Syria's antiquities chief Mamoun Abdulkarim.

But many others -- including massive tombs -- could not be moved.

Until IS militants blew up the ancient temple of Baal Shamin on Sunday, most of Palmyra's famous sites had been left in tact.

There were, however, reports that IS had mined them and the group reportedly destroyed a famous statue of a lion outside the city's museum.

i don't want to telling you how horrible Kabul is..two days ago..a car bomb exploded and kill 3 US Army

— A suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy traveling through a crowded neighborhood in Afghanistan's capital Saturday, killing at least 12 people, including three American civilian contractors for the international military force, authorities said. The Taliban quickly denied it was behind in the attack in Kabul's Macrorayan neighborhood, though the militants increasingly have been targeting Kabul in recent weeks and often don't claim attacks that maim large numbers of civilians. The attack struck near the private Shinozada hospital, the sound of the powerful blast roaring throughout the capital. Ambulances and Afghan security forces quickly surrounded the blast site, blocking access off from about 1 kilometer (half a mile) away. The bombing killed at least 11 Afghan civilians and one foreigner and wounded 66, said Wahidullah Mayar, a Health Ministry spokesman. In a statement, NATO said one of the Americans was killed in the blast, while the two others later died of their wounds. The contractors were not named. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the differing casualty figures, though conflicting information is common after such attacks. At least one armored vehicle in the convoy had been destroyed by the blast. It wasn't clear how many armored cars were in the convoy, though it is at least two, often three because of heightened security concerns in the capital.

U.S soldiers inspect the site of a suicide attack in the heart of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. The suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy traveling through a crowded neighborhood in Afghanistan's capital Saturday, killing at least 10 people, including three NATO contractors.

William Mervin "Billy" Mills, also known as Makata Taka Hela (born June 30, 1938), is the second Native American. (afterJim Thorpe) to win an Olympic gold meda. He accomplished this feat in the 10.000 run (6.2 mi) at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the only person from theWestern hemisphere to win the Olympic gold in this event. His 1964 victory is considered one of the greatest of Olympic upsets. A former United States Marine, Billy Mills is a

member of the Oglala Lakota (Siox)Tribe.

You have to look deeper, way below the anger, the hurt, the hate, the jealousy, the self-pity, way down deeper where the dreams lie, son. Find your dream. It's the pursuit of the dream that heals you.

set your heart free take flight and come fly with me,lets see the world through each others eyes,I will cradle your heart and nurture its beat as we take to the skies, leave your fear in the past along with your pain, we have no room for those things at all, let me understand your thoughts as only you do,I promise i will never let you fall,sometimes all we can do, is trust what your heart is telling you

US-led coalition forces launched a second successful airstrike against a crucial Islamic State explosives facility Wednesday, continuing a trend of going after the group's most devastating weapon.

The strikes destroyed a facility near Ar Rutbah, Iraq, which was being used to produce vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs). These car bombs are one of the main weapons used by the Islamic State extremist group — also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh — to devastating effect across both Iraq and Syria.

“Every VBIED taken off the battlefield is one less insidious weapon that can be used by Daesh against the ISF and innocent Iraqis,” US Brig. Gen. Kevin Killea said in a statement. “The location of this facility was strategic for Daesh in funneling VBIEDs into Anbar Province.”

Anbar Province in western Iraq, which borders Syria, is currently the scene of intense fighting between the Islamic State and forces aligned with the Iraqi government. Iraq has pledges to retake the entirety of the province from militant control following the fall of the provincial capital of Ramadi in May.

The fall of Ramadi was largely facilitated by the Islamic State's use of VBIEDs. These bombs are often advanced enough to produce even macabre amazement in their potential victims. One Baghdad police officertold Der Spiegel that these car bombs "were so sophisticated that they destroyed everything; there was nothing left of the car, and nothing to investigate how the explosive charge was assembled."

At least 45 Afghan children suffering from severe burns and osteoporosis - a low bone density condition - have been sent to Germany to receive treatment, Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) officials announced on Tuesday.

The initiative has been arranged with the help of Peace Village International – a German medical organization.

ARCS' International Relations and Media Officer, Sarma Afzali, said this is not the first time Afghan kids suffering from conditions that are particularly difficult to treat have been sent abroad, and, in the case of this initiative, to Germany. "It is the 70th group that has been sent to Germany for treatment, and includes 45 kids, including 10 girls and 35 boys," Afzali said on Tuesday.

According to an agreement between ARCS and Peace Village International, at least 45 to 80 Afghan youth get to travel to Germany for expert treatment every year. Within the next five days, some 55 patients who have received care through the program will return home to Afghanistan.

The kids are selected by Peace Village International, and their families often see the initiative as their only hope for treatment.

How can I thank youFor opening your heart to meFor trusting me withyour deepest feelings, your loveYour dreamsWhen we open up to one anotherwe are stripped nakedvulnerable, exposed, trusting one another not to take advantageThank you for loving me For not taking advantage of my vulnerabilityAs I give you My heartI promise that I will treasure your heartAnd guard your precious feelingsAlways and foreverFor I love you like no other

(WASHINGTON) -- Over the past three years more than 13,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen have been killed fighting the Taliban. That staggering statistic will likely continue to rise as the 4,302 Afghan security personnel killed and 8,009 wounded so far this year is a rate almost 40 percent higher than this time last year.

The latest Afghan casualty numbers released by the Pentagon on Friday are based on information provided by the Afghan National Defense Security Force which includes the Afghan Army, Afghan National Police, Afghan Air Force and the Afghan Local Police.

They show that from January 1 to July 31, 2015 4,302 Afghan security personnel were killed in action and 8,009 wounded in combat with the Taliban. That’s a 36 percent increase over the same time frame last year when there were 3,337 killed and 5,746 wounded.

For comparison 2,215 American service members died and 20,027 were wounded during the 13 year U.S combat mission in Afghanistan that ended in December, 2014. Some 10,000 U.S troops remain in Afghanistan to train Afghan troops, but hardly ever leave their bases as Afghan security forces have taken the lead for security in recent years.

The high fatality rates continue the trend that began in 2013 when Afghan security troops assumed the lead for security throughout Afghanistan.

Some 4,350 Afghan security personnel were killed in action in 2013 and that number increased the following year to 4,634 in 2014. The 9,000 deaths led Lt. General Joseph Anderson to say last November the casualty rates. At the time Anderson was the second highest ranking U.S general in Afghanistan.

U.S military officials say the high casualty rates for Afghan troops reflects the increased security role of the nearly 327,000 Afghan troops and police.

“The Afghan security forces are holding their own and doing fairly well,” said Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner, the top military spokesman in Afghanistan, told Pentagon reporters on Thursday. Shoffner said the number of Taliban initiated attacks is down eight percent this year from last year.

A Pentagon report released in June said the highest casualty rates were among the Afghan National Police and the Afghan Local Police who are most likely to face Taliban attack “primarily because they are often employed at isolated checkpoints and are not as well armed or trained” as the Afghan Army.

It said the number of Afghan casualties were “highest during the first few months of 2015, reaching approximately 80 percent higher than the same period last year.”

The casualty rates were said to be “of serious concern” but the report said Afghan force “remain cohesive and do not show indications that they will fail under the strain as they continue to demonstrate tactical superiority over insurgents and maintain consistent control over Afghanistan’s populated areas.”

The U.S has been working with the Afghan police to change their tactics and procedures to better protect their forces from roadside bombs. Afghan police operate in non-armored vehicles that are likely to suffer greater damage from roadside bombs than military vehicles.